Visiting with Sea Creatures

Recently, Ward's cousin, Cynthia, was visiting from Guatemala. One of our outings during her stay was a visit to the National Aquarium in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. It's been several years since we last visited, and we were pleasantly reminded of how much we like it. Below are pictures from our outing. Probably more than you want to see, but the animals were just so darn interesting. 

First up are the jellyfish, perhaps my favorite exhibit. They floated and glided so effortlessly that I found them mesmerizing. 

Fluorescent flower hat jellyfish

Egg-yolk jellyfish

Upside-down jellyfish that lie on the bottom with their tentacles up.

Tiger jellyfish

Not sure what kind these are, but we got to pet similar ones in a petting pool. They felt firm with a squishy layer on top.

Spotted jellyfish

And the giant display of glass jellyfish. 😉

On the top floor of the aquarium, you leave the water and enter the tropical rainforest. Cynthia felt right at home here, as many of the plants featured grow where she lives.

This banana tree, with its blooms and bananas forming, reminded me of the one time we got bananas from our tree in New Orleans. (Look to the right of the big yellowed leaf near the top to see the bananas.)

There were colorful birds, including parrots...

and scarlet ibis.

The real star of the rainforest display was the sloth. 

The poison dart frogs were not allowed to roam freely like the rest of the rainforest animals, so we saw these brightly colored frogs behind glass. It was pretty dark, so not the best pictures. The frogs ranged in size from about 1/2 inch to 2 inches.

This tiny frog had a very big voice.

A few other things we saw:

Green moray eel

Puffins

And no visit to an aquarium would be complete without seeing sharks.

After our visit, we made it home in time to go line dancing. A busy, but fun day.

Until next time...

Thankful Sunday

 I am thankful for my father-in-law.

Ward's cousin, Cynthia, decorated the cake.

Yesterday, we celebrated my FIL's 93rd birthday. It was a typical family afair in his backyard with family and friends. With fans, plenty of shade structures, and cold drinks, the 90-degree temperatures weren't too bad. Add to that music and little kids running around, and it was a festive time indeed.

The family band. Ward's father is playing the bongos.

My father-in-law has lived a good life despite some tragedies and contributed positively to the lives of so many others. And as part of this life, he and my mother-in-law raised four amazing children, including Ward. I have definitely benefited from this.

So, for the wonderful human being my father-in-law is and the excellent example he set for Ward, I am thankful.

Until next time...

Catch up or Throwback Thursday, the Recent Edition

 I see that it's been a week since I've posted, so instead of Throwback Thursday, looking back to something years ago, this one is going to look back to last week.

A new rose bush bloomed in time for our guests.

Ward's cousin, Cynthia, is visiting from Guatemala. In preparation for her visit, we've been cleaning and sprucing up things around the house since this was the first time she has visited us here. You know, dusting the baseboards that you usually don't see, hanging the pictures you forgot you had and meant to hang, fixing the two faucets that broke in one day, weeding the flower beds, etc. By the time we were done, things looked pretty good.

Cynthia is on a two-week visit and visiting with various family members throughout that time. Last Saturday, she came to our house, and we had a party for her. Ward smoked a pork shoulder, and I made a big pan of jambalaya, among other things. It also happened to be Theo's birthday, and he requested a pineapple upside-down cake. I hadn't made one in years, but luckily it turned out well.

Cynthia and Ward looking at a binder of some of his woodworking projects while we're waiting on some other family members.

After the party, she stayed with us for a few days, and we were busy from early in the morning until late at night. We showed her some of the sights and took her shopping for things she can't find in Guatemala. Yesterday, we did a handoff to the next set of people she will be visiting. And on Saturday, we will all gather for a 93rd birthday celebration for Ward's dad.

Cynthia was an easy house guest, and luckily, she has pretty good English. That was fortunate because the only Spanish I know is from what I learned from Sesame Street years ago. 😄

Today, we have been playing catch-up, and I have almost put away everything from the party, and the guest linens are washed. Then it's time to switch gears and prepare for Saturday's big birthday party.

Another time, I'll show you some of the places we visited, but I gotta get back to work now.

Until next time...

Throwback Thursday

 Looking back at my blog during the A-Z Challenge has inspired me to post more things from the past, so here goes my Throwback Thursday plan. Every Thursday, I plan to post something from the past that occurred the same week.

Today, we're looking back to May 2012 when I was trying to explain the difference between Disk and Disc. It's interesting to see how much of the technology discussed here is obsolete.

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Disk vs. Disc

I have always been confused by the difference between the two words, disk and disc. After an informal survey, I concluded that many people are as confused as I am. So, I went Googling to see if I could clear up this confusion. The first three hits included one from Wikipedia, one from Apple Computer, and one from the Grammarist.  Seemed like a good place to start. However, after reading them, it's still about as clear as mud.

Here's my summary of what I read. Both words are derived from the Latin word discus, but throughout the centuries, the spelling of the word has changed between disk and disc. There are also some differences in usage between Britain and the US, and in most cases, you probably won't be confusing anyone if you use the words interchangeably.  However, if you are talking to someone at Apple or others in the computer world, disc is used for material that is read optically (CD-ROMs and DVDs), and disk is used for material that is read magnetically (hard drives, floppy disks).  Wham-O says that Frisbees are flying discs and car brakes are disc brakes. And the list goes on.

Got it? Quick. Tell me, is the Milky Way a big spinning disk or disc?

Maybe the pictures below will help with Disk vs. Disc confusion.

First, we have the disks — a floppy disk and a hard disk on an external drive. These use magnetic storage.

Next, we have the discs--CD-ROM and DVD. These use optical storage.

But let's think about this a little more.

If disks have magnetic storage and can be square or rectangular shaped, does that mean a VHS tape that uses magnetic storage is a disk? 

Or because VHS tapes contain movies, does that mean they are discs like DVDs that have movies?

Then there's the flying disc.

Let's think some more.

If flat round things are called discs like the (generic) Frisbee, then are other flat round things called discs like a disc of peppermint candy?

And if a peppermint candy is a disc, does that mean that other sweet round things are discs? Or if they are square (i.e., Jolly Ranchers), like a floppy disk, are they disks?

In conclusion, I am so confused.

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Until next time...

Book Reviews

 Here are a few things I've been reading recently.

Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores, Adult fiction, 2025

What it's about: Nora marries an older man and becomes part of the rich elite in a Florida town. Or I should say, is rejected by the other rich, gossipy women of the town. Her husband ends up missing, and she has to solve his disappearance to save herself.

What did I think? I generally don't read society, relationship novels, but the suspense of what happened to Nora's husband made this an interesting read.

What did others think? It was a pick for the Read with Jenna book club, and there are still holds on it at the library even though it's been out for a year. Good Reads and Amazon give it a B+.*

* Goodreads and Amazon have different rating systems, so I generalized with letter grades.

The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick, Adult historical fiction, 2025

What it's about: In 1963, four women in a new neighborhood form a book club and read The Feminine Mystique. It opens their eyes and gives them a new perspective as they navigate the difficulties of their lives. The book does a good job of reminding us of how many fewer privileges women had at that time.

What did I think? At first, I thought the book was a little preachy and wondered whether it would go beyond the women's rights issues. But soon, the characters and their lives became center stage, and the challenges women faced at that time became just another "character", instead of the main "character". Also, the book has incredible detail in its descriptions of the products, styles, etc., of the 1960s. I found this interesting to a point, but thought there was too much of that at times. However, overall, I enjoyed the book.

What did others think? We read this book in book club, and the club really liked it. It provided for an interesting discussion as others shared the prejudices they had faced as women. The Book Club for Troublesome Women has also appeared on several bestseller lists and in book club picks.

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, Adult fiction, 2025

What it's about: 70-something, Sybil, has written letters all of her life to friends, family, authors, politicians, and to anyone and everyone she wants to. We read her letters and learn about her life as a retired attorney and divorced mother with two adult living children and one who died in childhood. She has a degenerative eye disease and is going blind. She also struggles with the fact that she was adopted.

What did I think? I enjoyed the book's letter format and the variety of letters shared, ranging from the mundane to deeply personal, and I enjoyed getting to know Sybil that way. At times, I had to put the book down because of the various traumas that were being described. However, the book had satisfactory endings to the different story threads. I missed reading Sybil's missives when the book ended.

What did others think? The book's popularity spread by word of mouth and is now on many bestseller lists and best-of lists. I was on the wait-list at the library behind hundreds of other people, so locally it is a popular book. One acquaintance said that she has read it three times already. 

The Ghost Writer by Julie Clark, Adult mystery thriller, 2025

What it's about: Olivia is a professional ghost writer who currently can't get a job because of her outspokenness. She accepts a job writing a memoir for her estranged father, who wants to tell the real story of what happened when his two siblings were murdered 50 years ago. He has a degenerative disease that affects him both physically and mentally, including having hallucinations. Olivia has to figure out what is real and what isn't in her father's memories. Tension slowly builds as more things are uncovered and is relentless until the end.

What did I think? This is another book that I wouldn't have picked up on my own because I generally don't read thrillers. However, it was recommended by a friend when I was between books. The Ghost Writer captured me from the beginning and held me to the end. When I had to take a break from reading, I was thinking about it. It's not a happy book and involves much dysfunction and teenage angst, but it is a compelling read.  

What did others think? The book is well reviewed and on the New York Times best seller list.

Until next time...